Not a huge hip-hop fan, but I love the beats Madlib makes, bought most of the Medicine Show collection. Listening to this on Apple Music because I'm too lazy to dig out the CD, through my old Macbook and a pair of Grado SR-80s that need recabling.

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Satkinsn, since you happen to like Madlib's production work, I strongly recommend you check out the Beat Konducta series, volumes zero through six. Dil Cosby Suite (Vol. 5), Dil Withers Suite (Vol. 6), and In India (Vols. 3-4) take the listener on a multi-faceted journey with this West Coast beat maker.

If you're a long-standing fan of the group (I am...), it's excellent. Otherwise, I suspect most listeners may pass. Pharrell took over most of the production duties with sporadic appearances by Chad on keyboards. The cast of featured artists blend seamlessly on the tracks they appear on (check "Don't, Don't Do It! (feat. Kendrick Lamar) and "Rollinem 7's (feat. André 3000)) and the beats actually drove me to play this release twice in a row - something I almost never do. In short, Pharrell did an excellent job of blending hip-hop beats and alternative rock on this one. I think the problem this trio continues to experience is that everyone expects their releases to sound similar to their ground-breaking debut In Search Of... We both know that fans can be fickle as hell and I suspect that's the case with regarding material released by N.E.R.D. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this album other than the group being straight-jacketed by the success of earlier work. The tracks alone are startling and prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Pharrell is a wizard on the 808s.

If you're a long-standing fan of the group (I am...), it's excellent. Otherwise, I suspect most listeners may pass. Pharrell took over most of the production duties with sporadic appearances by Chad on keyboards. The cast of featured artists blend seamlessly on the tracks they appear on (check "Don't, Don't Do It! (feat. Kendrick Lamar) and "Rollinem 7's (feat. André 3000)) and the beats actually drove me to play this release twice in a row - something I almost never do. In short, Pharrell did an excellent job of blending hip-hop beats and alternative rock on this one. I think the problem this trio continues to experience is that everyone expects their releases to sound similar to their ground-breaking debut In Search Of... We both know that fans can be fickle as hell and I suspect that's the case with regarding material released by N.E.R.D. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this album other than the group being straight-jacketed by the success of earlier work. The tracks alone are startling and prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that Pharrell is a wizard on the 808s.

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Thanks, KDAC. I'm fairly late to the party with post-1990s hip hop. There's a lot I need to become familiar with, and it's not always an easy learning curve when one goes by reviews from Pitchfork, et al. I appreciate your providing the insight, and I'll have to give this a closer listen. Do you know if this is available in a physical format?

Thanks, KDAC. I'm fairly late to the party with post-1990s hip hop. There's a lot I need to become familiar with, and it's not always an easy learning curve when one goes by reviews from Pitchfork, et al. I appreciate your providing the insight, and I'll have to give this a closer listen. Do you know if this is available in a physical format?